Kajun Watterson; Vice President and all around dreams

Kajun Watterson; All around dreams

Kajun and her horse, Paid to Hotrod, preparing for their trip to the Pink Buckle Barrel Race in Oklahoma.

WRITTEN BY KRIS BLANKMAN

Western Wasatch Contributor

Kajun Watterson, from Bluffdale, Utah, is a 12-yearold seventh grader with big goals and the skills to accomplish them!

She is a member of the Utah Junior High School Rodeo Association and is the current Student Vice President. She has a goal to give every rodeo contestant an amazing experience in Jr. High rodeo like she has had.

Kajun is the youngest child and only girl in a rodeo family. She started riding when she was two years old and started competing at the age of three. She started on poles and barrels in her younger years but her favorite event right now is breakaway.

She admits she did not like being the youngest with two older brothers until she was able to get into rodeo a little more and compete. Her two older brothers are also involved in rodeo.

This well spoken and intelligent young lady has certainly proven that she can compete. Some of her favorite accomplishments to date are 7 trophy saddles and a bunch of buckles that she has won. She tells us that she won 3 or 4 of them at the age of 7, winning the All-Around 5th and Under two years in a row.

At the age of 8 years old Kajun was involved in a horse accident while roping in her backyard. She said she had to take a year off and was not able to rodeo or compete, and that it was hard, but has come back strong! And strong she is. In 2020 Kajun was the Intermountain Icebreaker Rodeo Champion in breakaway and the Reserve All Around in the Junior High

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY UTAH HIGH SCHOOL RODEO ASSOCIATION

Kajun shows o her 5th and Under Association All Around Cowgirl Saddle with All Around Cowboy Rowdy Jax Mckee.

Division. This impressive young lady has her sights set on the State and National Finals for the 2020/2021 season. Her goal is to win the State Finals in breakaway and then move on to Nationals in four events with her eye on the prize to win the All-Around at the National Junior High School Finals Rodeo. And it comes as no surprise that she wants to repeat this same goal in High School.

She hopes to earn a rodeo scholarship to Utah Valley University when she is done with High School and follow her brother who is currently doing just that.

Rodeo is not the only interest this amazing young lady has. She loves to draw horses and animals and art is her favorite class in school. She loves to play basketball and has been on competitive teams since 3rd grade. She also loves to hunt. She is looking forward to the deer hunt this fall so she can enjoy time spent with her dad and brothers.

When asked what she would like to be doing in her 20s, she said she wants to be a makeup artist. She also wants to be a mom with a family of her own and hopes that they can enjoy the sport of rodeo together.